


Driving Test

by Gaaybriel



Series: Merlin, The Teacher [1]
Category: Merlin - Fandom
Genre: Future, M/M, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-01
Updated: 2013-02-01
Packaged: 2017-11-27 20:18:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/666098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaaybriel/pseuds/Gaaybriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin attempts to teach Arthur how to drive but it doesn't go exactly according to plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Driving Test

"No, you have to press the accelerator down _while_ you take your foot off the clutch." Merlin said for the third time in the last ten minutes.

"Yes, I know." Arthur replied in a clipped tone. Merlin raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Of course you do. That's why you've stalled the car four times so far. To show that you know how _not_ to drive. Of course." Merlin replied. Arthur glowered in Merlin's direction before turning back to face the road and trying to start the car again. On the fifth try Arthur succesfully had the car going in a straight line. He let out a loud whoop and turned to face Merlin with a grin on his face. Merlin tried to grin back to show his support of Arthur finally learning how to control the metal beast but he only had about two seconds before he was shouting, "Arthur! Watch out for that fence!" and gripping his seat tightly. 

Only a few seconds later the front of the car collided with the fence and both of them were jostled uncomfortably in their seats. Thankfully Arthur had been going as slow as he possibly could and the damage to the car was at a minimum. After about a minute of silence Merlin looked slowly over at Arthur who looked back with a pained expression on his face. Merlin took a deep breath and opened the passenger side door. He walked around to the driver side and yanked the door open. "Get out." he said to Arthur. Arthur exited the car silently and trudged around to the passenger side.

While Merlin drove him and Arthur home there was mostly silence until Arthur decided to chance it and said "At least I got it started, eh?" Merlin simply looked at Arthur until Arthur looked back out the window on his side again.

Arthur was eating a bowl of cereal (Frosties had quickly become his favourite) a couple of days later when Merlin came to sit beside him and placed a leaflet in front of him on the table. Arthur picked it up and looked at it.

"Driving school?" he asked

"Yes. I can't be driving you around everywhere all the time but I don't have the patience to teach you myself." Merlin explained. Arthur's face lit up with excitement. He had been anxious to learn to drive since the first time he had sat in Merlin's car. He had even started watching Top Gear re-runs regularly. As far as he could tell driving was like riding a horse, only much more difficult and a lot faster.

"You start tomorrow afternoon." Merlin said standing up and walking over to the kitchen counter to busy himself making breakfast.

"Thanks, Merlin!" Arthur said excitedly.

"You're welcome, sire." Merlin said sarcastically, as he often would these days, and earned a smug grin from Arthur.

Arthur had a couple months of lessons and would study his driving theory books all night as if the test was absolutely life changing. He was desperate to prove to Merlin that he wasn't completely useless in this strange world he had woken up in almost a year ago and had slowly got used to. He wanted Merlin to recognise his worth and realise he wasn't the arrogant, priviledged person he used to be. He wanted that more than he wanted to feel in control of the speed a car could produce, though that kind of power was a big perk.

Every so often he would get back from a lesson, flop down on the couch beside Merlin and say things like "Who cares about traffic lights and parallel parking? It's all too confusing. I give up." and Merlin would place a comforting hand on his knee and say things like "It takes some people a while to get the hang of it. Just keep trying."

Merlin was having a lie in one day when Arthur came bounding into his room and shouting, "I passed my theory test!" and jumping on Merlin's bed. Merlin sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes and when he finally focused on Arthur and realised what he'd said he grinned and said "That's wonderful!" and Arthur tackled him to the bed in a hug. Merlin laughed while pinned under Arthur's weight. Arthur pushed himself back up on his hands and looked down at Merlin with a huge grin on his face. They stared at each other for a few minutes while Merlin's heart rate increased dramatically and before he knew it Arthur was leaning down to press his lips against Merlin's. Merlin was frozen in shock for a moment but when he came back to reality he threw his arms around Arthur and responded enthusiastically.

After a few minutes both of them were lying on their sides facing each other and grinning at each other. Arthur reached over to Merlin, traced his thumb over Merlin's lips before he spoke,

"My test is next week. Will you drive me there so I can drive us back home?" Arthur asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Both of them felt too scared to break the intimacy of the moment with loud words so Merlin whispered back, "You're very confident." before laughing quietly.

"Of course I am. I'm going to pass. Just you see."

A week later Merlin pulled up outside the driving school building and said good luck to Arthur before Arthur leaned over and kissed Merlin lightly.

"Don't need luck." he said just before he got out of the car. Merlin laughed while he watched Arthur get into the car he would be using to take his test and the instructor slide into the seat beside him. He started the car and drove off with apparent ease. Merlin waited in his car until he saw Arthur turn back into the car park and park easily. There were a few moments before he got out of the car with the instructor and went into the building but as he walked through the door he looked back at Merlin and did a celebratory arm pump. Merlin laughed, it was obviously some ridiculous gesture he had learned through watching far too much TV.

A little while later Arthur appeared at the driver side window of Merlin's car pressing a piece of paper saying he was legally allowed to drive against the glass. Merlin opened the door and got out and was immediately swept up in a tight hug.

"Well done!" Merlin said when they broke apart. Arthur grabbed hold of the driver side door and moved to get behind the wheel. As he slid into the seat he told Merlin to get in the car. Merlin walked over to the other side of the car and was about to open the passenger side door before he remembered his last experience of sitting in that seat with Arthur behind the wheel and took a step back to open the door to the back seat. He slid in and shut the door behind him and looked up to find Arthur staring him straight in the face.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked.

"I'm getting in the car." Merlin replied simply. "Can we go home now? I'm starving."

"Get in the front seat, you idiot. I'm not your chauffeur." Merlin bit his lip.

"No. No, I think I'd rather stay back here."

"I'm not going to crash, Merlin. See," Arthur held up the piece of paper he'd been given, "I did brilliantly. Now get in the front seat." Merlin sighed and got out of the car again. He sat back down in the passenger seat and immediately put his seatbelt on and checked its efficiency.

"Satisfied?" Arthur asked, having noticed what Merlin was doing. Merlin nodded. "Do you not trust me, Merlin?" Arthur asked.

"Uhhh..."

"Shut up, Merlin." Arthur said before driving off home.

**Author's Note:**

> I love the idea of Merlin teaching Arthur a bunch of things about the modern world and after watching 5x13, driving was the first one I thought of.


End file.
